The Rolling Stones are ending 2023 with another new release – a live edition of latest studio album Hackney Diamonds.
The special edition LP, Hackney Diamonds (Live Edition) is a double album: one disc comprising of the previously released album, the second disc featuring their live performance at the U.S. launch of Hackney Diamonds at Racket in New York.
The seven live tracks include new songs “Angry”, “Whole Wide World”, “Bite My Head Off” and “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” – as well as classic Stones numbers “Tumbling Dice”, “Shattered” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”.
As it does on the studio LP, “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” features Lady Gaga, who joined the veteran rockers onstage at the New York show. Speaking about Gaga’s performance on the track, Mick Jagger described it as a “great experience,” adding: "Her just coming in the room and her just opening up and seeing her bits and feeling her way and then getting more confident. And then we came back and then did some extra parts that we hadn’t done on the day and then we did some tidying up and we were just in the overdub room, really face-to-face, getting them really tight, the parts really tight, and then being slightly competitive and screaming."
Lady Gaga had previously joined the Stones during their 2012 tour, to perform “Gimme Shelter” from their classic 1969 album Let It Bleed.
Hackney Diamonds is the Stones’ 24th studio album (and their first without drummer Charlie Watts, who died in 2021) and as well as featuring Lady Gaga, also includes guest contributions from legends Elton John, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and former bassist Bill Wyman. After its surprise release in October, it reached #1 in 19 countries including the UK, where it became the band’s 14th chart-topper.
In addition to the special live edition of Hackney Diamonds, the Stones’ newfound burst of creative energy seems set to continue through 2024. The band – now made up of original members Jagger, 80, Keith Richards, who turned 80 on December 18, and Ronnie Wood, 76, as well as the relatively youthful Matt Clifford on keyboards, Darryl Jones on bass and drummer Steve Jordan (who are all in their sixties) – recently revealed details of a 2024 North American tour. The 16 dates will begin at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on April 28 and conclude at the Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California on July 17.
Age cannot wither them, nor custom stale their infinite variety: The Rolling Stones, 2023.
Despite the rave reviews for Hackney Diamonds, with the Daily Telegraph describing it as “a raucous and dirty modern rock classic” and Variety declaring it as their "liveliest work in 40 years", not everyone has been so enthralled by the Stones’ apparently triumphant return. Speaking to French magazine Les Inrockuptibles shortly after its release, Blur singer Damon Albarn accused the band of something like cultural appropriation.
“This really annoyed me,” he said, “because my family lives in Hackney and the way they showed up at the Hackney Empire venue really p***ed me off. They’ve never did a thing in Hackney, they’ve never played there, never contributed to anything. They just showed up. It’s all nonsense.”
Hackney Diamonds (Live Edition) is available now from the Rolling Stones official website. Visit here to buy a copy.
The Special Edition LP contains seven tracks recorded at Racket, NYC.
